


Lunacy

by OrionRedde, Shyrstyne



Series: Cometverse [72]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werecreatures, Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Snuggling, mild body horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:47:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25074844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrionRedde/pseuds/OrionRedde, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shyrstyne/pseuds/Shyrstyne
Summary: There are consequences to crossing universes. Some are only just now becoming apparent.
Relationships: lea/isa/original character
Series: Cometverse [72]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1285373
Comments: 24
Kudos: 18





	1. lunatic

**Author's Note:**

> YOOOO GUESS WHO'S MOVED OUT!!!! IT'S ME, BITCHES! Enjoy the celebratory fic posting!

Somebody is in his home.

Isa pauses for barely a millisecond on his way up the stairs but keeps climbing, mind racing. Comet, Lea, and the kids are still out getting groceries, so it’s just him. He can take care of an intruder. He gathers magic in one palm in preparation of summoning his claymore. He knows Comet will forgive him if he wrecks some furniture if this ambush turns violent.

“I suggest you come out,” Isa says smoothly as he enters the second floor, closing the door behind him. “I know you are here.”

“Oh, this is _rich,”_ a familiar voice, but twisted in hate and anger, cackles as a _horribly familiar_ figure steps out of the shadows. The domed helmet tilts and black and red armor catches the light as what can only be Vanitas puts his hands on his hips. “Xemnas’ _lapdog?_ And I thought the other me couldn’t be more _pathetic,_ ” Vanitas spits. “First getting mommied by some bint-”

Isa doesn’t let the interloper finish, his claymore digging into the wall where Vanitas’ head had been. Isa easily yanks his weapon out. He keeps his breathing even, steady. He hasn’t fully gone berserker since becoming human again, but berserking indoors was never recommended, and Comet’s patience _did_ have limits. He remembers Van telling them about this Vanitas, remembers how this _shadow_ of his cub keeps harassing him, how he hurt Comet and broke Van’s arm.

“Geez, touchy much?” The false Vanitas mocks. “Lapdog found a new master? Where _is_ your master, anyway? Or _masters?_ You lick their boots, too? How far you’re willing to go- _ARGH!”_

Isa manages to get Vanitas in the gut with his claymore, sending the facsimile of his _cub_ into the coffee table. His vision is going red at the edges, heart racing as his anger builds. He’s briefly grateful for the magically high ceilings as he pounces, bringing his claymore down in an overhead arc. Vanitas dodges but can’t escape when Isa jabs a fist down, clipping him. There’s a snap of bone, and Isa feels darkly pleased as the copy hisses angrily. Hopefully his ribs are broken.

“Do _not_ speak of them that way,” Isa snarls. “Or I will shatter every bone in your body.”

“Oooh, touchy touchy.” Vanitas snarks, blurring away and appearing crouched on the back of the armchair. “Speaking big words for somebody who’s so dependent on his _bestest fwend!”_ Vanitas clasps his hand against one side of the helmet in a falsely endearing pose. “You haven’t even gotten all glowy, yet! Can you _really_ protect them? Maybe I should… pay them a visit.”

Isa’s hand is around the facsimile’s throat in the next instant, and he’s lifting him into the air and his vision is _red red red_ and, _oh,_ he’s so **angry.**

_“You will not touch them,”_ Isa grinds out, words forcing themselves through gritted teeth as familiar anger and strength flow through his body. But instead of fear, Vanitas chuckles.

“And how’re you going to stop me?” He taunts, and then he’s _gone._

Isa’s blood goes _cold._

No.

No, no, _no, no no no_ **_no no nO-!_ **

_Where are they. Where is Lea and Comet and Van and Roxas and Xion. Where are his partners. His cubs. Where are they he has to find them._

Isa’s mind clouds with _pure instinct_ as his heart cries out in fear and he _throws_ himself to the door. He slams against a barrier, cool and dark and familiar. His body aches at the impact. He slams against it again, snarling and teeth bared and he has to get out. He has to get out. _Let him out!_

“Woah, Isa!” A familiar voice lilts from the cool shadows, wrapping around his mind. “What’s got you in a tiff? Are you ok- _holy shit!”_

Isa pays no mind to the voice, to the pain in his body as something _pops_ in his back and his hands warp and bend he just has to get out. Let him out! He has to keep them safe!

“Okay, okay, Isa? Isa! Look, it’s me, it’s Myde!” A head appears just in front of his own, bright aqua eyes staring into him. This… this is his friend. Yes. Friend. Pack. His friend will help him. 

**“Myde,”** Isa growls, voice crawling from his chest. **“Move!”**

“Sorry, buddy, I can’t right now,” Myde says. “You’re not thinking clearly. You need your pack, right? You wanna find them right?”

Yes! He needs them! He has to know they’re safe! But Isa can’t articulate, can’t _speak_ and he just _hisses,_ feeling so _angry and helpless and-_

“You want me to get them? I _promise_ I’ll bring them back, okay? Comet and Lea and the cubs. Safe and sound,” his friend promises him, crossing over his heart. Isa growls and paces and he needs them needs them needs them. “You should make a nest, alright? You need a nest.”

Yes. Yes, his friend is right. Isa needs a nest for his pack, who his friend will bring back, yes. Isa immediately turns and leaps away, towards the stairs. Myde watches him go.

“Oh, something went super wrong here. This won’t be fun,” Myde mumbles to himself as he sinks back into the shadows between planes. “I gotta get Comet and Lea.”

You’re walking down the street with Lea, swinging your joined hands back and forth. The kids are behind you, Xion laughing as Vanitas successfully riles Roxas up, revelling in the freedom that comes from being the Injured Sibling and thus immune to retaliation. It won’t last long, the cast is due to come off next week, but you know he’ll milk it for all he’s worth. The only person missing is Isa, who’s supposed to be meeting you later. It’s a nice evening, and you’re looking forward to a nice dinner with everybody home. 

Myde steps out of a lamppost’s shadow a few yards ahead. He looks around and spots you, and suddenly he’s in front of you and Lea.

“Hey, Myde! What’s-”

“You guys need to get home _right now,”_ Myde stresses. “Something’s wrong with Isa.”

You and Lea are sprinting before he can even finish his sentence, the cubs right behind you. Myde flits through the shadows beside you, worry clear on his face as he continues.

“He’s berserked out,” he tells you. “He won’t calm down. I’ve got him warded into the apartment, so he won’t escape, but something _really weird_ is going on. He’s super panicked.”

“Explain,” Lea huffs as he leaps over a bannister.

“Really, really focused on getting you two and the cubs home and in a nest,” Myde continues, phasing through a few low walls. “He thinks you’re in danger. I think the other, dickier Vanitas paid a visit.”

Your cub growls behind you, grumbling something uncomplimentary.

“What’s that kid’s fucking problem?” You gripe, skidding around a corner. “Oh thank fuck there it is.” 

You all bunch into the bar and are stopped by Myde.

“Okay, Isa is _really anxious_ right now,” he says, palms up as cool tendrils lap around your ankles. “As in, you may want to go in one at a time.”

“Okay, then I’ll go,” Lea starts. Myde shakes his head empathetically.

“He’s unpredictable when he normally berserks, yeah? Well, take that factor and multiply it by, like, a hundred. You two have… a history.”

“Fuck, you’re right,” Lea growls, claws digging into the wall as he glares up the stairs. “Okay, Myde, what’s the best course of action here? Would a cub help?”

“Considering he doesn’t have backup to protect cubs, which are his current focus…” Myde trails off with a telling wince. 

“So, me first?” You try to say lightly. Lea whines at the thought.

“As much as we all hate it, yeah,” Myde agrees. “But just to warn you he’s… he’s a little feral, right now. I think something went _really wrong._ ”

“You’re not making me feel any better,” Lea grumbles.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Van pipes up, Xion and Roxas adding their own protests to his.

“I’d say I will be there the whole time, but I’m currently keeping Isa trapped in the den,” Myde explains, expression pinched. “ _And_ he can sense me. He’s fine right now, but I’ll probably have to make myself as scarce as possible.”

“Well,” Vanitas huffs, “this is a shitty situation.”

“I hope Isa’s okay,” Xion murmurs, wringing their hands. Roxas leans against them silently in support.

“Only one way to find out,” you say resolutely. “Lemme through.”

“Be _careful,_ Comet,” Lea begs. “Be very, _very_ careful.”

“If things go south I’ll taze him,” you promise. “But I’m sure everything will work out.”

Lea whines but lets you pass. You cautiously, quietly, climb up the stairs. The almost invisible barrier of tendrils curl back and let you grab the knob of the door. You take a deep breath and quietly enter your home, closing the door behind you.

Your living room is a _mess._ There are claw marks all over the furniture and walls, stuffing from the ruined furniture spilled all over the floor. There are cushions missing from the couch and armchairs. The coffee table has been completely decimated, Isa’s claymore still buried in it.

“What the fuuuuuck,” you whisper to yourself, edging around the destruction. Your foot hits a table leg, presumably the remains of the coffee table, sending it skidding. You freeze, heart pounding. Something thumps upstairs.

_Stay calm, Comet,_ you tell yourself, willing your body language to remain non-hostile as the thumping quickly makes its way to the stairs. _It’s just Isa. It’s just Isa. He knows you._

A large weight thumps on a wall and then, next to his claymore, lands Isa. You swallow a gasp.

The first thing you notice is his back. His posture is hunched over, turtleneck ripped open down his spine. You can clearly see the vertebrae. His back muscles flex and bulge almost unnaturally. His brow and nose are thicker and flatter, glowing eyes glaring at you from beneath his protruding forehead. His teeth, sharp and almost too big for his mouth, are bared as he snarls at you. Isa crawls forward on all fours, and now you notice his feet and hands, warped almost in the shape of a were’s paws, thick claws clicking against the floorboards, and the long, hairless, whiplike tail lashing the air behind him. His ears, slightly longer than usual, are pinned back.

Isa growls at you again, muscles in his neck and back bunching as he prepares to pounce.

“Isa,” you say calmly, slowly dropping to your knees. “Isa, it’s alright.”

Isa hisses, arching his back in a clear threat display.

“Isa, it’s me,” you continue, slowly blinking your eyes. “It’s Comet.”

Isa, still growling, slowly edges forward. You keep your eyes trained on him, slowly blinking, and, when he gets close enough, you pointedly look away. Trust. You trust him. You will yourself not to jump when thick teeth press against your throat. Isa sniffs deeply, scenting you. You close your eyes and try _desperately_ not to cry. Stars, what _happened?_ Isa looks like his body tried to shift but then remembered halfway through that he can’t. You can see faded bruises on his exposed joints.

You can’t stop yourself from jumping when a cool, scratchy tongue rasps over your shoulder. Isa grumbles and you hold perfectly still. Isa licks up your shoulder to your hair, paying special attention to your undercut. Then he presses his forehead against yours, rumbling deep in his chest, warped by a strange clicking sound.

“Yeah, Isa,” you whisper, looking deep into glowing, pupil-less eyes. “I’m here. It’s okay.”

Isa lifts his head to lick your forehead and then abruptly picks you up. You gasp and grab onto his neck. Stay calm, you remind yourself. Isa croons as he carries you up the stairs. Upstairs is marginally better than the living room, with fewer claw marks. Isa takes you into the master bedroom and you stifle a despairing groan. He’s _completely_ shredded the mattress, likely for the stuffing. There’s a relatively neat pile of metal springs off in a corner. Isa has made a nest out of damn near every blanket and soft thing he could get his hands on. You suspect this is where most of the living room furniture remains are.

“That’s quite the nest,” you say instead, and you think Isa preens slightly. He gently lowers you into the nest and then curls around you, tail draping loosely over your legs as he starts grooming your hair again. You’re glad you went with a simple ponytail today, so you just grab the hair tie and tug it off. Isa croons again and starts combing his claws through your hair, gently untangling it, occasionally rasping his tongue over troublesome spots. Despite the uncertainty of it all, grooming your hair is _such_ an Isa thing to do, even if the tongue thing was new. You relax, and you can tell that your relaxing gets Isa to relax, too. Isa finishes grooming your hair and nuzzles against your cheek, something clicking at the back of his throat. Almost like he’s trying to purr, but can’t quite start the engine.

You hear the creaking of the stairs. Isa snarls and straightens.

“It’s okay, Isa,” you say immediately. “It’s probably Lea or one of the cubs. Go see who it is, yeah?”

Isa gives your cheek a lick and smoothly gallops out of the room. You strain your ears, unwilling to provoke Isa by leaving the nest. You tense when you hear a yelp. You stay tense as the sounds of a scuffle reach you, and then thumping up the stairs. Isa pads in on all fours, dragging a pouting Vanitas by the back of his shirt in his teeth. You can’t help a laugh.

“Yuck it up, Ren,” Vanitas huffs, but doesn’t resist as Isa drags him into the nest next to you and immediately starts grooming his hair. “Any idea what’s up with sphinx cat here?”

“None,” you say quietly. “We’ll have to ask him when he’s able to talk to us.”

“That might take a while,” Vanitas says, hissing when Isa roughly licks the back of his hair. Isa growls back and Vanitas reluctantly goes limp, letting Isa get back to grooming. 

“Did Myde tell you when to come up?” You ask. 

“Yeah, he said I’d better go next,” Vanitas answers, eyes drooping as he finally relaxes. “Couldn’t quite say why, but I figured it was an Abyss knowing thing.”

“Roxas and Xion coming up together?”

“Considering they’re joined at the hip, it’d probably freak Isa out if they didn’t.”

“True,” you concede. “I’m just a little worried for when Lea’s finally allowed up.”

“Lea’s tense as shit,” Vanitas tells you. “He’s almost literally climbing the walls.”

“I’m going to have to repair and replace _so much stuff,”_ you sigh, giving Isa a fond look as he hooks his chin over Vanitas’ head, finished grooming. He blinks slowly at you, eyes half-lidded.

The stairs creak once more.

Isa perks up again but doesn’t growl, looking more eager than distressed. He leaps out of the nest without your prompting and bounds out of the room.

“That’d be the twins,” Vanitas grunts, sitting up, cast clunking awkwardly against the floorboards. “How much hair did I lose from his grooming?”

“How unfortunate, you have a bald spot that says ‘I’m a brat’,” you tell your cub seriously. Vanitas gives you an unimpressed look. Then he flops sideways onto your stomach, making you wheeze.

The both of you sit up when you hear twin shouts and the thump of something heavy landing.

“He’s not hurting them,” Vanitas says aloud. “He pounced on me from the stairs, didn’t even touch my arm. He’s probably trying to be gentle by not landing on them.”

“I know,” you whisper. “I just know I live with a bunch of fight-happy people.”

“That’s true, but you shouldn’t say it.”

Roxas and Xion stumble in, pushed by an impatient Isa. They willingly crawl into the nest, curling up together by Vanitas. They let Isa hover over them, sniffing and licking their hair, faces, and shoulders. Xion purrs up at him, and he clicks back, butting foreheads and reclining next to them. Roxas starts up his own purr. Isa relaxes but remains alert, ears pricked and staring out the door.

He’s up and out before you can process the stairs creaking a final time.

“Let’s hope those two don’t wreck my den anymore than it already is,” you grump. Xion knocks their fist playfully against your shoulder.

“I think it’s good that he built a nest,” they tell you. “Means he’s more concerned about us than about fighting somebody.”

“True,” you agree, reaching over and running your fingers through their hair, then Roxas’. “I just worry.”

“Really?” Roxas sasses. “We didn’t notice.”

There’s a _roar_ and a thump from downstairs. You all sit bolt upright. Your heart pounds as you strain your ears, listening to thumping and snarling and growling. You _know_ they won’t hurt each other, you _know_ Isa is aware enough to not seriously hurt anybody, but your boys are _idiots_ and you _swear_ if they hurt each other-!

There’s thumping up the stairs and Lea is _thrown_ in. You and Vanitas scrabble out of the way before Lea can land on top of the two of you. Lea grunts when Isa lands on him, but doesn’t resist as Isa nearly _attacks_ his hair and face grooming him. Lea scrunches his face up but keeps his hands down.

“You okay, Lea?” You ask, lips twitching as you muffle a giggle. The twins have no such reservation and start laughing.

“ ‘m fine,” Lea huffs, screwing his face up as Isa bites into a tangle. “He just pounced on me and basically clotheslined me to the floor.”

“What’d you two do? Wrestle?”

“Well, he roared in my face- _ow! Isa!”_ Lea yelps when Isa nips his ear. Isa hisses at him and goes back to grooming. “Jerk. He roared in my face and I yelled back and we tussled, and then he just picked me up and threw me in here.”

“What do you think happened to him?” You ask. Lea sighs, worry clear on his face as Isa gives a final lick to his forehead before wedging himself between you and Lea, clicking quietly.

“I don’t know,” he whispers. “Seers and berserkers happen all the time, or used to anyway, but this? This is new on me. We’ll have to ask Isa when he’s back, or go poke Merlin and try to figure something out. Myde went home, by the way, so the place isn’t warded by him anymore.”

“That’s fine,” you say, running your fingers through Isa’s hair. “I think Isa has what he needs to start to calm down.” Isa turns his head and licks your fingers. “Thanks, Isa.”

Isa blinks at you and buries his head back into the nest, curled into a tight ball. You and Lea exchange worried looks and the both of you slowly, cautiously scoot closer to Isa. He’s facing you, so you gently press your forehead against his, draping your arm over his ribs. Lea spoons him from behind, burying his face into Isa’s hair. Isa heaves a deep sigh and uncurls, draping an arm around you in turn. You glance down and see him deliberately drape his tail over Lea’s ankles. Isa slicks your hair back with a lick and hooks his chin over your head. You heave a shuddering sigh, forcing yourself to relax. Lea also takes a deep breath, and you feel him relax. Vanitas pushes his face between your shoulder blades, and you know he wants nothing more than to shift into were form, but he can’t until the cast comes off. He makes do, pressing himself close, and you feel Roxas and Xion move over to snuggle up behind Lea. Lea rumbles, reaching his hand a little farther to brush over your hair. You reach back, rubbing a hand up and down his side.

You doze, listening to the breathing of your loved ones around you. You don’t know how much time passes, long enough for the sun to set at least, before Isa suddenly jerks upright.

“Isa?” You and Lea ask simultaneously, also sitting up. Isa pants, head whipping back and forth, before turning to look at the two of you. His eyes are his usual deep green again, though he still looks caught midway between were and human. He blinks fuzzily, swaying unsteadily.

“Lea? Comet?” He rasps. “Where…?” His gaze sharpens. “Where are the cubs.”

“Here, pops,” Vanitas grunts, briefly raising his arm in a wave before flopping it down with a thud.

“Here!” Roxas calls as he and Xion sit up from behind Lea.

“Are you okay, Isa?” Xion asks.

“I…” Isa suddenly notices his hands. His eyes widen and he pales dramatically, slowly turning his handpaws over. You and Lea exchange a worried glance. Isa’s breathing picks up, gaze unfocused as he stares sightlessly at his hands.

“What _happened_ to me?!” Isa whispers, ears pinning back and tail lashing. _“What HAPPENED to me?!”_

“We don’t know,” you tell him. “Myde grabbed us and said something was wrong.”

“What happened, Isa?” Lea asks him, gently. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I…” Isa’s brow furrows as he struggles to remember. “I had gotten home, and I could feel that somebody else was there. It was the other Vanitas-” _your_ Vanitas snarls into his pillow “-and we fought. He said he was going to _hurt_ you-” His voice fails him, hands flexing. “I… I went berserk. I could not think clearly beyond the fear that you were _in danger_ and I _wasn’t there._ I think… I think Myde was there? And then… it is a blur. I believe I made a nest…” Isa trails off as he finally notices his surroundings. “Oh, dear.”

“It’s alright, Isa,” you soothe, reaching out to touch his shoulder. He draws back, expression crumpling with fear and self-loathing and disgust. No. “Isa.”

“I…” Isa croaks. “I don’t…”

“It’s okay, Isa,” Lea rumbles. “We’ll figure this out together, alright?”

“We love you, Isa!” Xion chirrups, crawling over Lea’s legs to get to Isa. Isa tenses but does not resist when Xion stands on their knees to butt his chin with their forehead. “It’s okay!”

“What they said,” Roxas affirms, also shuffling over to lean against Isa’s arm.

Vanitas wordlessly settles behind Isa, leaning against his back.

“It’s okay, Isa,” Lea repeats as you and him inch forward. Isa’s expression wavers then crumples. He meets the two of you halfway, knocking foreheads together. He grips the back of your necks, breath shuddering. You and Lea both place a hand on either side of Isa’s neck, threading hair through your fingers. You feel Lea’s warm hand on your back and you press your free hand against his, completing the circle.

“We’ve got you,” you murmur to your distressed boyfriend. “We love you.”

Eventually Isa calms down, but he doesn’t know how to shift back. You and Lea help him navigate the stairs to the kitchen and set him up at the table with some tea. With the help of the cubs he occasionally gets up to walk unsteadily around the table, legs wobbling as he tries to adjust to the different dimensions of his body. His tail startles him the most, especially when it brushes against a table leg or his own feet.

You and Lea cook dinner together, chatting idly with Isa in an attempt to keep him at ease. Vanitas brings out a deck of cards and absolutely thrashes Xion and Roxas at a game of Spades. Xion scoots their chair closer to Isa and lean against his side as they play, purring. Isa seems to appreciate the contact, eyes squinting and clicking at the back of his throat.

After dinner you all migrate back to the franken-nest, ignoring Isa’s embarrassed apologies about the state of the couch and of the bed.

“Isa, for the _nth_ time, _it’s okay,_ ” you insist. “I’ll just see if Merlin’s willing to help me replace and repair some stuff, and then we can go shopping for new furniture. Okay?”

“No, it is not,” Isa insists stubbornly.

“Then you can move the majority of the furniture,” you huff. Isa nods seriously. Lea flops face down onto the nest with a content sigh, groaning when Xion and Roxas jump on top of him. You gently prod Isa into laying down between you and Lea, Vanitas lying back on your other side. Isa has his back to you and, when he doesn’t protest, lets you spoon him, burying your face into his hair.

“You smell pretty,” you tell him, and he snorts a laugh.

“You never tell me _I_ smell pretty,” Vanitas protests behind you.

“Quite the oversight, Comet,” Lea teases.

You crane your neck around to look at Vanitas.

“You smell pretty,” you tell your son, and he makes a face and blows a raspberry at you. “I take it back, you goblin.”

Isa snickers, and you feel him unclench. You stick your tongue out at Vanitas and go back to press your face against Isa’s back, breathing him in. The room falls silent, save for the sound of quiet breathing.

Isa’s back suddenly jerks with a sharp _snap._ Isa chokes and you and Lea immediately sit up. Isa grits his teeth and growls as his back pops again, muscles rippling as they shrink back down. You immediately start running your hands over him, Lea and the cubs doing the same, murmuring and soothing as Isa jerks and seizes, groaning as his body slowly, torturously reforms. His hairless tail snaps at odd angles as his spine returns to human length and configuration, hips popping and toes relocating and hands flexing around yours as Isa whimpers, tears spilling over his cheeks as he tries to _breathe!_

With a final pop and arch of his back, Isa is back to human shape, panting and drooling onto his pillow. That only took a couple minutes, but it felt like _days._

“Isa?” You ask quietly, brushing hair out of his face as Lea rubs the knuckles of the hand in his grip. 

“That…” Isa rasps, eyes blinking open. “That was _horrendous._ ”

“Holy _shit,_ Isa,” Lea croaks, wiping his eyes.

“You need me to get anything?” Vanitas asks, hand on Isa’s knee.

“I am fine,” Isa says. “I am only tired. I want to sleep.”

“We can do that,” you say, lying back down. “Whatever you need, Isa.”

“Thank you,” he murmurs, limply holding your and Lea’s hands. You both nuzzle into either side of his face. Vanitas drapes himself over your legs, head on Isa’s stomach. Roxas and Xion sprawl over Lea and Isa both, somehow. You mentally remind yourself to call Merlin in the morning, if he doesn’t somehow show up for tea tomorrow. You have a lot of questions about what Isa just went through. For now, though, you’re going to sleep. Questions can wait.

The last thing you hear is Isa clicking quietly in his throat.


	2. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family deals with the fallout. Also Merlin shows up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a quick little interim chapter that mostly exists to fill some of ye olde foreshadowing from way back when.

Merlin walks into the home above the bar with all his usual flair and not one ounce of invitation.

“My oh my, quite the mess you’ve made of the place, hm?” He says without any real judgement. “How are you my dears, situation notwithstanding?”

“Hi Merlin, and thanks for knocking.” You say, sitting with Isa and Lea at the kitchen table, one of the few places in your home that hadn’t seen any serious damage. Merlin most certainly hadn’t knocked, but he doesn’t appear to notice your reprimand, not that you’d expected him to. He moves upstairs, bits of debris floating behind him as he goes, already hard at work.

You can’t say you mind. It’s less you have to do yourselves later. After the tumultuousness of the last 24 hours you’re more than happy to let Merlin be exceptionally helpful and intuitive.

“Weren’t we just talking about asking Merlin to help with this mess?” Lea asks, and you nod with a chuckle. 

“I guess he just knew, though I think the coffee table is past even him.” You say, remembering the whole ass claymore that had been sitting in it. Isa, who had been sitting quietly next to you up until this point, stiffens.

“Oh.” He breathes, and you give him a quizzical glance.

“I hope you don’t mind maroon for the bedroom.” Is all he says, obscuring the words behind his cup of tea. You tilt your head quizzically, but say nothing. Maroon is fine.

“Hopefully he won’t disappear on us and we can ask him about the whole…thing.” You gesture vaguely at Isa, who winces uncomfortably.

“I would like to talk to him myself, if you don’t mind.” He says, in a quiet plea for privacy. You nod in acceptance, though Lea has a narrow eyed look like he wants to ask something but isn’t sure what.

He gives both of you passing touches as he gets up and passes you, following the eccentric wizard upstairs. 

You have a pretty good idea what he wants to talk to Merlin about anyway. 

-

Merlin hums pleasantly as he motions various bits and baubles around the home. Isa takes only a moment to watch him work, trying to arrange the words he wants to ask in his head. 

“Hello, moonchild, hello.” Merlin greets congenially. “Shadows shadow making life difficult, eh?”

“Yes, he is at that.” Isa agrees, wrestling down a surge of anger at the memory of Vanitas’ tormenting words. “I wished to enquire…”

He pauses, unsure, half expecting Merlin to cut him off with cryptic answers before he can finish. 

“Yes, my boy?” Merlin peers over his glasses. “Out with it now.”

“What happened to me?” Isa decides on bluntness. “I changed, but.. how? I’m not a were, I never have been. How could I possibly change, even only partly as I did?”

Merlin pauses in his magical reconstruction to look at Isa for a long moment. 

“Changed? Whatever do you mean?”

Isa quirks his head, something like dread curling in his gut. 

“I changed. When our shadows shadow threatened those dear to me. It felt as though, when I fell into my rage state, something… went wrong.”

Merlin abandons the room entirely, debris falling to the floor as the magic in the air releases it, and Merlin circles Isa with a critical hum. 

“What are you on about? No no no that’s not right- and yet… oh dear, there it is. That wasn’t there before. What on earth-“ Merlin mutters as he looks Isa over, lifting an arm and examining him. 

The dread in Isa’s gut curls tighter. 

“What do you mean it wasn’t there before?” Isa asks, almost hesitantly. Merlin strokes his beard, frowning. 

“I know I’ve a reputation, lad, but you’re usually pretty good at understanding me. It was not there before. When did I last see you?”

“We had tea, four months ago. Things have been.. chaotic.” Chaotic was an understatement. A universe away and then the recovery afterward had taken some time. 

“Tell me. Out with it.”

“There was an incident, were we were trapped in another dimension for a time.” Isa replies. Merlin blinks. 

“Well that explains your shadows shadow.” Merlin hums. “Dear me.”

“You didn’t know?” 

Merlin shakes his head. 

“Other universes are outside my purview! Goodness gracious, the things you kids get up to..”

“But you saw the other Vanitas, you saw him intrude on our home and threaten my family.” Isa can’t help the hint of anger in his voice, though it’s as much at the situation than anything. Merlin nods. 

“I did, I did. And I saw your rage take shape, cleft the space with it. But I saw no change, my dear! This is quite unusual.”

Isa sits heavily on the bed. 

“What.. what does that mean?”

It’s the first time he’s ever had to ask Merlin that, and it sits heavy in his mouth. 

“I’m afraid I don’t know.” Merlin settles next to Isa gently. “A most unusual circumstance. But rest assured I will endeavour to assist you in figuring it out.”

He pats Isa’s hand in an attempt to comfort, and Isa can only take a deep breath to calm himself. 

“In the meantime,” Merlin continues, “Stay close to your stars, yes? Uncertainty is anathema in times like these after all.”

_ Uncertainty?  _ Isa thinks.  _ I’m a monster. Not human, not a nobody, not a were, what am I? _

“Thank you, Merlin.” He says instead. Merlin gives him a side eye that for a moment leaves him wondering if he can somehow sense Isa’s inner dialogue, but the moment passes and Merlin stands, magic returning to the air. 

“My pleasure, lad. Now I should finish this up eh?” He chortles. Isa remains on the covers quietly, thoughts turned inwards as Merlin works, remaining there until long after the elderly man had left and the room is all but pristine in its newness. 

_ I always was the odd one out.  _ The thought comes unbidden.  _ The only human kid in my family, the only nobody without an element, and now… _

Whatever he was now, he was certainly the only one of those too. 

He doesn’t hear anyone come up the stairs, too wrapped up in his thoughts, but a small knock on the doorframe has him lift his head. 

The walls are maroon now, he idly notes. 

“Hey.” Comet says, stepping in to sit next to him, closely followed by Lea. 

“I’m guessing it wasn’t the answer you wanted.” Lea intuits, resting his hand on one of Isa’s, still fisted in his lap. 

“He didn’t know.” Isa answers, the words feeling like they have to be forced between his lips. 

“He didn’t- what? How could he not know?” Comets confusion is palpable. Lea squints, similarly confused. 

“You’re sure you’re not just misreading him like the rest of us usually do?” He asks. Isa shakes his head. 

“No, when I told him what happened, he was quite adamant that was not what he had seen.”

“Well. Fuck.” Comet sums it up, drawing an incredulous laugh from Lea. Isa appreciates the attempt at humour but can’t bring himself to smile. 

Lea notices. 

“Hey, Merlin’s not the only semi-omnipotent being we know, and isn’t that wild? But seriously. We’ll figure this out. Promise.” He says, squeezing Isa’s hand comfortingly. Comet rubs his back with small circular motions. 

“He’s right.” They confirm with a nod. “We’re here for you and we’re gonna do this together.”

Self loathing rises hard and bitter in his throat, old guilt he’d thought long since worked through coming to the fore with these new developments. 

_ I was a monster to those around me before, of course only now I think I’m beyond that does my body come to reflect my past actions.  _

He tries to push the thought away. 

“Whatever it was.. hopefully we will never have to deal with it again.” He says, injecting a level of optimism he doesn’t feel into the words. 

Lea and Comet share a dubious look. 

“You really think we’re that lucky?” Lea asks with, admittedly justified, incredulity. 

“Whatever it is, happened as I attempted to berserk. I will simply refrain from doing so for the foreseeable future.”

He can’t be like that, like an  _ animal _ , all rational thought taking flight in favour of primal instincts. It reminds him too much of when Xemnas-

Berserk could at least be wrangled for the purpose of fighting. This? This is something else entirely and he hates it. 

“Isa that’s not a good plan.” Comet protests. 

“Yeah what happened to my strategizer?” Lea says. “You don’t berserk just for the hell of it.”

Anger surges in Isa. 

“And what would you have me do?” He growls, standing and pacing the floor between the bed and the wall restlessly, arms crossed tightly behind his back. 

_ The form finally matches what I once was. What I am. I don’t want them to see that. _

_ I don’t want them to see the monster I truly am.  _

“Isa.” Comet calms his name softly, causing his steps to stutter as much as his frantic heartbeat. They’ve grabbed Lea’s hand with one of theirs, and are reaching out to him with their free one. He steps forward as if on a magnetic pull and takes it. They pull him back down onto the bed where he’s immediately wrapped in a tight hug from both sides. 

“We’ll figure it out. And even if we can’t.. it’ll be okay. We’ll deal with it like we have everything else, and we’ll do it together.” Comet says with feeling. He feels Lea’s arms tighten, wordlessly confirming what they say. 

Stars, but he hopes so. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this whole situation actually pokes at more than a few of Isa's insecurities


	3. lunacy @: electric boogaloo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> did you really think this was the end

Isa wakes up with a migraine, and  _ knows  _ it’s the full moon tonight, nevermind the moon tracker by the bed and Lea grumbling somewhere behind him. The bed shifts as whoever’s in the middle sits up, followed by the soft sound of a kiss. The faint scent of ozone fills his nose and, when he doesn’t twitch away, soft lips press against his temple.

“Good morning,” Comet murmurs quietly, bless them. “Coffee or tea this morning?”

Isa briefly weighs pros and cons.

“Tea, please,” Isa requests, voice rough. The natural pain-reliever would be a blessing.

“Bad this morning,” Comet observes aloud as they gingerly leave the bed.

“Mmh,” he grunts, keeping his eyes closed.

“You want me to help?” Lea offers.

“Little bit.”

A warm hand rests over the back of his neck, warmth increasing just a touch as the fingers gently knead into the muscles. Isa sighs and goes limp, the headache easing slightly. Lea scoots closer and, with Isa’s silent permission, rolls them so that Isa is lying on his front with Lea sitting on his back. Warm knuckles and palms dig into tense muscles, loosening knots and easing tension.

“I bring caffeine and tea,” Comet murmurs as they pad back into the room.

“Have I told you lately that I love you?” Lea asks seriously, resting his warm palms against the back sides of Isa’s neck.

“You just want me for the coffee machine.”

“ _ I  _ love you for you,” Isa mumbles into the pillow.

“Isa is current best boyfriend.”

“Aww,  _ Comet, _ ” Lea whines. Comet muffles a giggle, setting Isa’s mug of tea on the nightstand next to him. Lea gets off of him without prompting. Isa groans as he sits up, wishing the day to be over already as he gratefully picks up his mug and sips it. He leans against the headboard just next to Lea, absorbing his partner’s ambient heat. Comet settles on Lea’s other side, sighing gustily.

It’s a calm morning.

“Wait, shit, we have kids,” Comet speaks up after ten minutes.

“They know how to work the stove,” Lea huffs.

“Roxas burnt the soul out of pancakes,” Isa reminds him.

“Oh, dammit, you’re right.”

“I got it,” Comet says, draining their coffee in one gulp. “Roxas and Xion are probably the only ones up, anyway.”

“Even worse,” Isa quips, finishing his own tea and getting up from the bed. He is long practiced at ignoring moon migraines. Lea sighs in false exasperation and crawls out of bed, too.

Roxas and Xion both freeze when Comet walks into the kitchen. Their startled expressions are especially comical. Isa smirks at them and starts a new mug of tea for himself as Comet patiently fixes their attempt at blueberry pancakes, Lea providing some commentary from where he’s slumped over the kitchen table. There’s loud thumping from upstairs, but nobody glances up. Vanitas stomps in, irritable and pale, and latches on to Comet without a word. Comet tolerates the intrusion with their usual patience and affection, absently knocking their head against Vanitas’. Isa leans against the counter, feeling at ease as Roxas and Xion quietly squabble over when they can flip the pancake or what toppings go best, words soft and teasing and affectionate. 

Isa closes his eyes, absorbing the warmth and comfort.

After breakfast the resident weres dress in comfortable grub clothes and start making a nest in the living room. Isa returns to the room and starts getting ready for the day, stripping and easing into a soothingly warm shower. As he scrubs shampoo into his scalp, Isa’s mind naturally goes to mulling over the past. He winces to himself, remembering that fateful day a few weeks ago when… He shakes the thought away, concentrating on rinsing the conditioner in his hair out. He’s fine. It won’t happen again. He finishes his morning routine quickly and returns to the living room, claiming an armchair pushed up against a wall for himself.

The day both crawls by and passes quickly, as all full moon days do. Comet has the foresight to close all the curtains preemptively, which helps to soothe Isa’s nerves and headache. Vanitas is already incapacitated, pale and shivering in the middle of the pile. Lea, just as pale but not as sickly, curls around him, murmuring quietly and rumbling. Comet sits down cross-legged by their heads. Lea lifts his head from Vanitas’ hair to rest in their lap. Roxas and Xion pace around the room, already filled with restless energy. Isa, ignoring the pulsing at the back of his neck, joins Comet by the nest. He briefly runs his hands through his partner’s and his cub’s hair before folding his hands in his lap.

Isa feels… out of sorts, for some reason. Slightly more irritable than normal, migraine more intense. The world around him feels transient, unreal, but contact with anything makes him want to tear his own skin off.

Vanitas groans low in his throat as bones in his ribcage crackle, Lea huffing through his own pain as his spine warps. Roxas and Xion grumble and grunt as they fall to their hands and knees, bones popping like stiff knuckles as their shift ripples through them.

Isa… sways. He feels sick, he feels the ache and pain increase in his head, spreading down his neck to rest like a stone in his belly.

Why… does he hurt so?

Something snaps in his back and his vision whites out.

You’re stroking through Lea’s hair, gripping Vanitas’ warping hand, when Isa bends double with a grisly  _ crunch. _

“Isa!” Damn near everybody cries out. Isa’s breath rasps in his chest, gaze distant. He groans, something in his torso crunching again. Lea whines, distressed, but can’t move as his own body warps and breaks. You reach out to Isa, but he moans and stumbles away, gripping his head as his power  _ explodes  _ around him, eerie gold and blue running through his veins. Roxas and Xion, both finished with their own changes, wedge themselves next to Vanitas and Lea.

“Take care of Isa!” Roxas tells you, determinedly purring as Vanitas pants and grips Roxas’ ruff.

“Comet, go,” Lea huffs, lifting his head off your lap. Xion replaces you after you scramble upright to get to Isa, who has crawled away from the nest. You can’t help but choke on a sob as his body arches, pulsing upward as his spine crackles and lengthens. His forehead is pressed against the floorboards, teeth gritted and eyes squeezed shut. His torso arches once more, bone cracking and muscles swelling, and his shirt, a tighter-fitting turtleneck he often wore for comfort, rips down the spine. You bite your lip when you spot the bruising.

“Isa,” you call out, keeping a distance despite every instinct  _ screaming  _ at you to get to him, to hold him. Isa whips his head to you, green eyes wide.

“C’m’t?” He rasps, then his eyes roll and he drops his head back down, panting as his thighs flex, seams in his jeans popping as the muscles swell and warp.

“Yeah, Isa, it’s me, I’m here,” you babble, crawling closer to him. He moans in pain, but doesn’t move away. “Where do you need me?”

Isa suddenly lunges, burying his face into your collar. You immediately wrap your arms around him as he grips the back of your shirt. He cries out when his hips pop out of place, sobbing roughly as they realign. His legs kick out, feet snapping and warping and claws scratching into the floor. His arms and legs go horribly limp as the bones in them crunch like dry twigs. You hold him up as he pants, near breathless with pain. 

“Hurts,” he suddenly grunts, words wheezing out of him.  _ “Burns!” _

“I hear you, Isa,” you tell him, pressing your cheek against the top of his head, your expression crumpling when you hear and feel cartilage in his face snap. You swallow back tears. “I hear you. You’re almost done.”

_ “AH!”  _ Isa suddenly yowls, a lump forming at the base of his spine.  _ “Ah! AH! AAH!” _

__ He cries out again when you touch the lump, and you whisper teary apologies as you carefully guide his slowly sprouting tail over his waistband. You feel his claws dig into your back before consciously releasing to dig into the floor instead. His tail whips the air, jerking and twitching as the nerves finish connecting and forming, then goes limp. There’s a final series of cracks and snaps as everything settles into place, then Isa goes limp in your arms, panting. You kiss into his hair and press your cheek against his head, allowing your tears to fall. You feel wet patches form on your shirt, but you could honestly care less.

“Why?” Isa rasps, shivering. “Why is this  _ happening?” _

“I don’t know,” you reply, voice thick with your own tears. “I don’t know, but we’ll find out, okay?”

“Merlin didn’t know!” Isa protests, shivering as his breaths heave out of him. “ _ He didn’t know!” _

“We haven’t exhausted our options,” you say firmly, tightening your grip over your distressed partner. “We still have Yen Sid to ask, and Cid, and Adira, and, hell, we haven’t combed through the Land of Departure’s library yet. We’ll figure it out. And if not-” Isa whines in despair “- _ if not,  _ we still  _ love you,  _ Isa. Isa,” you gently nudge his head until he’s looking up at you. “Isa! You are  _ mine. Mine  _ and  _ Lea’s.  _ And we  _ love  _ you.  _ Nothing  _ will change this  _ absolute fact. You’re Isa!  _ You’re  _ my partner and my love.  _ You are my  _ moon.  _ I wouldn’t exchange you for anybody else, or cast you aside because life decided to bust our asses yet again.” Isa smirks slightly, eyes wet. You kiss his forehead, and he presses into the contact, clicking in his throat. “I love you  _ very much.  _ Don’t ever forget that. Okay?”

“Okay,” Isa murmurs, hiding his face in your chest. You simply hold him and rock side to side. Isa twitches in your grasp when Vanitas yowls.

“Roxas and Xion have them,” you murmur, turning to look back at the nest. Lea is almost done, fur covering his entire body as his face starts to push out. Vanitas is three quarters of the way there, tail lashing around his feet. “Do you want to go over?”

Isa makes as if to get up, but his arms give out. You catch him. Isa growls to himself, panting and tail lashing.

“Do you want me to help you there?” You offer. Isa nods and you help him limp-crawl over, mostly dragging him. Isa doesn’t protest. He lays limply on his side and lets you bring his head into your lap once you’re by the nest again. Lea growls and snaps his teeth in the air, muzzle finished forming. He immediately cranes his head forward to lick Vanitas’ face, getting a tired wheeze in response. Lea hauls himself up to his elbows to get a better look at you and Isa.

“Isa!” Lea frets, nosing at Isa’s face and neck. Isa huffs but doesn’t bat him away, closing his eyes and tolerating the worrying. “Are you alright?”

“I am fine,” Isa sighs, pushing Lea’s muzzle away. “Just sore.”

Lea whines but let’s it go, turning his attention to you and licking over your face. You splutter but don’t fight it. You figure he’s just seeking a bit of comfort right now. You’ll gripe at him for his slobber later.

Vanitas finishes his change, snarling then going limp. You lean forward and gently brush your hand through his hair, digging your nails into the fur just behind his ears. He brings a paw up to gently grip your wrist for a moment. Roxas chirps and immediately starts grooming Vanitas’ ruff.

“I hope you hack a hairball,” your grumpiest cub huffs, suspiciously not resisting as Roxas chews determinedly on a tangle. Xion appears at your side, head lowered to sniff at Isa.

“Are you  _ sure  _ you’re okay, Isa?” They ask quietly, eyes big and wet. Isa sighs, weak to Xion’s genuine concern.

“I will be,” he tells them. “I just… don’t like not knowing what is happening.”

“None of us do,” Lea says, curling up around you and Isa. He lifts his head to give your cheek a lick before resting it on his crossed paws. You lay back against his ribs, carefully supporting Isa’s head as you uncross your legs. Isa grumbles and adjusts so he’s lying on his side, head on your thighs. His ears flick back and forth, tracking the cubs as the twins decide that now is the time to goad Vanitas into a wrestling match.

“Either calm down or take it outside,” you say firmly as Vanitas rolls Xion under him, making them yelp. The terror twins whine in protest but reluctantly make a move towards the door.

Isa suddenly sits up with a protesting whimper. Everybody freezes and looks at him. Isa pauses, then lays back down and hides his face in his hands, curling into an embarrassed ball.

There’s a moment of silence.

“I think we’ve got Betrayal at the House on the Hill somewhere,” Vanitas says suddenly, trotting off to find said board game. “Dibs on the mad scientist.”

“It’s alright, Isa,” you soothe, running your fingers through your boyfriend’s hair. “You just want the cubs close right now, yeah?”

“It is still mortifying,” Isa mumbled into his hands. “I know they will be safe, but I also want them  _ home _ . The last time I was like this...”

“Yeah, I think Vanitas is about done with that asshole,” Lea finishes for him, reaching his head forehead to give Isa a consolitary lick on the forehead. “Don’t sweat it, Isa. We’re all here, and I don’t think any of us want to leave the den right now.”

“Think I could squeeze a basement expansion from Merlin?” You muse out loud. “Get like some sort of room the pack can wrestle in when they wanna stay home?”

“Ooo, a secret lair!” Lea laughs. “You think Ienzo would make us laser cannons for security?”

“Why laser cannons when we can have neurotoxin?” Isa pipes up with a wry smile.

“We can’t forget the classic arrows and sawblades coming out of the walls,” you quip. “It’d be good dodge training, at least.”

“Can you three quit planning your villain origins for one night and just play a board game?” Roxas gripes as he and Xion set up the game.

You and your boyfriends look at each other.

“The stars say no,” Isa quips.

“Can’t do it,” you drawl.

“Not today!” Lea laughs with a big grin.

“Do y’all wanna play or not?” Vanitas asks, waving the character cards.

“I hope I’m the traitor this time!” Xion chirps.

Instead of Xion,  _ you  _ turn out to be the traitor, and do appropriate silly gestures and dramatically cheesy speeches as you chase the other characters around the mansion. In the end they barely squeak out a win, Xion and Roxas yelling in excitement as Vanitas finishes the objective.

“Good game, everybody,” Lea says, giving his character card back to Xion.

The pups start another round as you and Lea help Isa stand up and wobble to the kitchen. Your partner determinedly makes his own cup of tea, clutching the mug against his chest and inhaling the scent of herbs. Lea sits on his haunches next to Isa, keeping him company as you get started on a late night dinner.

You’re frying up some beef bits in a mushroom sauce when, in reflection of so long ago, Isa wraps his arms around your waist from behind, burying his face in your hair. You glance at Lea from the corner of your eye and raise an eyebrow. He just gives you a doggy grin, tail thumping on the kitchen tile. You sigh and relax, making sure to move slowly as you move about the kitchen, Isa still clinging to you. He rests his chin on top of your head at some point, clicking in his throat. 

“Instead of sitting there and looking pretty, can you set the table for us?” You ask Lea as you stir the noodles into the sauce.

“I  _ always  _ look pretty,” Lea snarks, but gets up and starts grabbing plates and cups. You turn your attention back to the food. Something thin and warm loops around your ankle, and you manage to suppress a surprised flinch. You glance down and spot Isa’s tail, but don’t give any indication that you know what’s happening. His tail flexes a little around your ankle, but doesn’t let go. This is fine.

You tap the stirring spoon at the edge of the pan, dislodging loose bits of mushroom and beef. Isa grabs a potholder from above the stove and tosses it on the table, still holding on to you with one arm.

“Food’s done,” you call, transferring the still steaming pan to the table, placing it on the potholder Isa had previously tossed. There’s a mad scramble, but the cubs immediately halt when Isa hisses at them.

“Be nice,” you scold, gently smacking his ribs. He grumbles but concedes. Dinner is scarfed down with the barest of manners - allowable, because literally everybody but you and somewhat Isa is some kind of animal right now - and the cubs are back to trying to betray the shit out of each other over board game. Isa, now steadier on his feet, helps clean up as Lea shoos you out of the kitchen. You’re immediately dragged into a new game with the cubs, complete with house rules and made up enemies. You can barely keep the rules straight but somehow manage to pull a win by the time Lea and Isa join you back out in the nest. 

You have the distinct disadvantage of not being moon-powered, so as midnight draws closer your energy flags. Isa sags tiredly against you, tucking your head under his chin. Lea prods the two of you into lying against him, drawing a blanket over you both.

“Go to sleep, loves,” he murmurs as the cubs quietly start a game of jenga mixed with a hostage situation. “I’ll try to wake you up before dawn.”

You’re not ashamed to admit that you conk the fuck out, drained by the emotional toil the night took out of you. Isa spoons you, gently rasping his tongue over your undercut before he, too, passes out.

Lea doesn’t wake you up before dawn, but thankfully everybody’s reversals, including Isa’s, seem to have gone without a hitch.

Or at least you assume so, considering that everybody is still fast asleep. You glance around at your family, thankfully either burritoed up or somehow wearing their still whole sweatpants. You glance to one side, taking in Lea’s freckled shoulders as he breathes deeply in his sleep. You glance to the other side, critically looking over Isa’s bare torso. Thankfully, no bruising on either of them. Mentally shrugging, you snuggle back into Isa’s chest and close your eyes.

You’ll hopefully catch a couple more hours before being rudely awakened by your stomach. Or the cubs’. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAA


	4. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sometimes the riddles are solved by unexpected sources.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> call this a.. test run of sorts, to see if maybe i can start updating the standAU again (no therapy but i talked to some people who do and got myself some brand new and hopefully healthier coping mechanisms that have been helping immensly). the next couple chapters are orion's, so even if i decide i'm still not quite ready you won't be waiting on me at least lol
> 
> anyway, back to shenanigans

You’re so happy to be back behind the bar, if you’re being honest. You’d missed the hustle and bustle of your day to day job with how crazy things had been lately. Hell, you’d had a few stiff drinks yourself after last month, as had most of your adult friends. The kids had gone off… somewhere. Radiant Garden, you think. The memories were a little fuzzy, you’d had a _lot_ to drink, but clearly no one had died so the night had probably gone smoothly. 

But the point was that you were back to work and it felt great. 

“What not one free drink? I kept this place from getting looted for you! Paid all your bills and everything.” Adira drawls incredulously. You roll your eyes even as you fish under the counter for a glass. 

It’s shoved into your grasping hand by someone else's, to which you murmur a quick thanks. 

“For which I am eternally grateful.” You admit. “But I paid you back for rent and you’ve been using that excuse for free drinks all week.”

“I go above and beyond and this is the thanks I get.” She grouses. 

“You could have milked it a lot longer if you hadn’t tried to claim it for Zeb’s drinks too. I’m half convinced he’s selling the bottles back to Seifers group for a profit.” You remark idly. Adira scoffs. 

“They’re all adults now don’t matter to me what Zeb does to con them out of their money. Maybe they’ll learn something.”

You shake your head, and pour a straight whiskey for her. 

“Seriously though, I am grateful. One free drink every night, yeah?”

She grins. 

“I’ll take it. We both know I’m the only reason this hole in the wall stays afloat.”

“Friends supporting friends makes the world go round.” Myde appears on the stool next to Adira between one blink and the next, a glass somehow already in hand. You reach down and a bottle of ginger ale is pushed into your waiting fingers. 

“Hey spaceman, how’s universe?” Adira quips. Myde, covered in inky darkness and eyes, grins. 

“Immense and unknowable as usual.” He sways in his seat and phases partway through the counter, but manages to hold the glass steady as you pour ginger ale into it. “How’s being the local middle aged shit disturber?”

“It’s a living. Been rough without my monthly bar fights though, I’m gettin’ soft.”

There’s a snort beneath the counter, to which Adira raps her knuckles against the wood with a scowl. 

“Ey, I heard that! Don’t make me come down there.”

“50 Munny on Isa.” Myde immediately chimes. 

“I’ll take that bet.” You return, and you glance down at the slightly reflective pupils hidden beneath the counter. 

“You have so little faith in me.” He laments, but there’s no real hurt in it. You just grin and nudge him with a toe. 

“I got all kinds of faith in you. But you're dealing with a body you’re not used to and she’s got another twenty years of experience doing who knows what.” You explain. Isa just looks up at you dolefully. 

“So is there a reason Boyfriend number 2 is hiding under the counter or..?” Adira takes a long drink. 

“Home, family, new instincts he’s always known of but never _known_.” Myde rattles off, sipping at his ginger ale and making a face every time. “Beast but not, conflicted experience.”

_“Thank you,_ Myde.” Isa grumbles. You see him curl a little tighter into the cubby barely big enough to fit him, tail curled tightly around his legs. 

That cubby really was the best decision you’d ever made making this place, considering how much mileage you’ve gotten out of it. 

“Is this about why he smells different all of a sudden? Cause if I didn’t know any better I’d say he was a newly turned.” Adira comments, surprisingly serious. You shrug. 

“Probably. Things have been.. pretty crazy.” You look down at Isa again, seeking permission. You don’t want to talk about him like he’s not here, but he hasn’t really seemed up to talking today. He shrugs and makes a go-on gesture. 

“He’s not a were... exactly. He’s got some things, but not others. We’re still figuring it out. Right now we’re mostly dealing with random shifts hitting him out of nowhere.”

Adira pulls in a hiss. 

“Ach, that’s rough kids. I got some tips for that if ye want, meditation and shit helps.” She leans over the counter to look down at Isa directly with her offer. He looks up and gives a small nod of assent. 

“You know how to meditate?” Myde says doubtfully. Adira just shoots him a wicked grin. 

“I know all sorts of things, Abyssal.”

“Oh was that a threat or a challenge?” Myde looks far too excited about this exchange to you. 

“Ahem.” You interrupt them before they can really get going. “Seriously Myde we’ve actually been meaning to ask you if you knew anything about.. all that. Why he’s changed and why only part way.”

Myde rubs the back of his head sheepishly. 

“I don’t? I think other universes are just out of my jurisdiction, especially when I’m not in them. I can’t track the shitty Vanitas either. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I had to ask.” You sigh. You’d really hoped Myde would have at least _something_ for you, but apparently it wasn’t meant to be. 

You feel Isa’s tail wrap around one ankle, and you reach down to run a hand over his head gently. 

“This is so undignified.” You hear him mutter, a repetition of his feelings when you’d suggested the cubby earlier. 

“There’s a couch upstairs if you wanna lounge properly.” You offer, but he shakes his head. You’re not surprised. 

Were instincts were a bitch like that. 

Myde and Adira banter well into the evening, and you worry you might have yet another destruction duo on your hands, but thankfully nothing happens (yet). 

Adira calls it quits just before last call, which isn’t unusual. She gives Isa, who eventually managed to convince himself out of the cubby and onto one of the bar stools, her number with a ‘don’t call me, I’ll call you’. That, along with a grin that’s far too flirtatious, to which Isa flusters in embarrassment. 

“I am _taken.”_ He growls, and she just laughs. 

“And? I’ll pass along those meditation tips later. It’ll help with the random shifting. G’night monster boy, Myde, booze supplier.”

She slips out, and you see Isa clench his fist around the paper before stuffing it in a loose pocket. 

“You alright?” You ask. “I know Adira can be.. a lot.”

He shrugs, but he won’t look you in the eye. 

“I’m fine.”

You know he’s not, but he’s had a lot on his plate of late, so you let it lie as the bar clears out and you start doing cleanup. 

“I’m gonna go see Aerith and the rest next week by the way.” You tell him as you load up glassware into the washer. “I should only be gone for the afternoon, but you know how these things go.”

He gives a hum of acknowledgement, but you see the way his tail twitches in agitation. Honestly it reminds you of Aqua, if Aqua were an entirely furless lion. 

When you’re finished and head upstairs, Isa stops you before the two of you can step into the bedroom. 

“Just.. come home safe.” He says. “Keep your phone on you.”

You don’t tell him you’ve made this trip many times before, or tease him for this sudden bout of protectiveness. He’s dealing with this new surge of instincts as best he can, and you’re grateful he hasn’t put the whole family under lock and key.

Or tried to, anyway. You both know exactly how that would end. 

No one in this family has a good history with being locked away. 

“Promise.” You get up on tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips, and then head for bed, curling up next to Lea, who is snoring softly. You feel the bed dip as Isa crawls in behind, draping arms and legs and tail over you both. 

You sleep deep and without disturbance. 

-

Stepping off the Gummi ship in Radiant Garden a few days later finds you greeted by Cid instead of Aerith. 

“Whole other universe wasn’t good enough for ya, you had to come back, eh?” He quips as you drop off a case outside. 

“Can’t get rid of me that easily old man.” You pull him in for a hug and though he coughs awkwardly and doesn’t return it, he doesn’t resist either. It’s as good as Cid usually gets for pda’s. 

“So where’s Aerith?” You ask as you pull away, leaning down to pick up your case again. 

“Fields. Harvest season ended up shorthanded, so she’s working overtime tryna get crops in.”

“And they let you get out of it?” You tease, and he snorts. The shipyard disappears behind you as the two of you walk towards town.

“I’m a mechanic, kid, I’m working plenty every time something breaks, which is just about constant this time of year. You just got lucky to come in when I finally had five minutes of peace.” 

“Aw you missed me.” You elbow him gently in the ribs as the two of you walk. 

“Aaaah off with ye. Don’t you got a menagerie of Cubs and weres to watch?”

You sober a little at the thought. 

“Yeah. I feel bad leaving Isa right now, but he’s got Lea with him at least, and we can’t stay cooped up in the house forever, yknow?”

“Isa? Why him?” Cid side eyes you, and you shrug sheepishly. Apparently Cid hadn’t heard yet. 

“I guess I haven’t really had the chance to call have I? Isa had an altercation with.. an intruder and when he berserked he ended up…. I don’t know. Almost half shifting into a were, but not all the way. We’re still figuring it out, and Isa’s been struggling with the weird mishmash of instincts.”

He grunts. 

“Makes sense.”

“Wait, what do you mean that makes sense?” You stall, nearly dropping your case. Cid doesn’t slow. “Cid, wait, explain! Do you know what happened to him?”

“Thought it was obvious.” He shrugs. “Boy ended up in an alternate universe, the difference fucks with his genetics just enough the next time he berserk’s he triggers a shift, but his body still isn’t _supposed_ to do that, so it gets mangled halfway. Poor kid. He’s lucky though, could’ve been worse.”

“Wait, wait-“ your mind reels. “I’m confused, what do you mean, how does that mess with genetics? What does berserking have to do with it?”

He chews on his stick idly, looking like he wished it was a cigarette. 

“People ain’t _supposed_ to be in other dimensions. Granted till now this was all speculation and hypothesis, but they supposedly operate on completely different wavelengths.”

You remember the feeling of disconnect and the echoes of your companions you’d been constantly aware of. That tracks. 

“Now ye take someone like Isa and drop him in there, where everything is wrong on an atomic level. I remember his family, weres every single one of ‘em, _except_ Isa. It’s only by pure chance he wasn’t a were already. What d’you know about berserkers?”

“I know it gives some pretty incredible power buffs, at the cost of rational thinking.” You answer, wondering where this is going. Cid nods. 

“An’ how do they do that? They draw on animal instincts. You look at any berserker in history and if they weren’t a were themselves I guarantee they had some in their family. So Isa already has the predisposition, goes to a place that mucks with him on a level no one can see, and then calls on something inside that’s distinctly animal. Couldnt’a predicted a half-were shift like that, I gotta admit, but it makes sense.”

You walk in silence, a little stunned. 

“Sometimes I forget you have some pretty advanced physics degrees.” You say at length, which nets a laugh out of him. 

“Mechanics may be my calling but I gotta use those years of school for something.” He says.

“Stars, I.. thanks, gramps.” All the searching for answers, no one knowing.. and the answers had been right there the whole time. “I don’t suppose you know how to make it stop?”

“Kid I’m a physicist, not a geneticist.” Cid snorts gruffly. “But I wouldn’t hold out hope. That’s not something that can be fixed on a whim. You’d be better off chatting up the scientists up in the castle.”

“That’s a good idea, actually.” Now that you had something approximating a cause, you had a better idea where to start looking.

You drop off some stuff for Aerith, chat with your siblings for a bit, stop to see Kaze, Naminé, and Haru, and then you make a trip up into the castle.

-

You return late that night.

“Comet, welcome home.” Isa greets as you come up the stairwell. He probably would have stood, but he’s on the couch with a sleeping Xion draped across his lap. Lea is on the other side of the couch in a similar position with Roxas. Van is curled on the thick cushions of the side chair.

Everyone except Isa is sound asleep.

“Were you all waiting for me?” You let out a small, incredulous laugh. Isa smiles.

“I guess I’m not the only one who is tense about letting each other out of sight.” He says. You lean in to give him a kiss in greeting before resting on the armrest next to him.

“So I talked with Cid..”

It’s a surprisingly short explanation, and it feels almost anticlimactic after the revelations of the day. Isa sits quietly throughout and well afterwards, running his hands across Xion’s fur.

“You went to speak with Even and Ienzo, I assume?” He asks at length, quietly. You nod.

“They said they’d look into it, but they both agree with Cid. There’s not much chance of getting you back to the way you were before.”

Isa continues to run fingers through Xion’s ruff, staring into nothing. You lean against his shoulder lightly.

“Isa?”

“It was.. A foolish hope, I suppose.” He murmurs. You reach an arm around his shoulders to pull him a little closer.

“No. It didn’t pan out, no, but.. You aren’t wrong to hope. Hope is what keeps us going.” You say just as quietly.

“They’re right you know. Nothing wrong with a bit of hope.” Lea cracks a wide yawn and rubs his eyes and he rouses. “We’ll figure it out, just like we have everything else.”

Isa smiles, a real one for the first time in what feels like ages, and you feel something in your heart loosen at the sight.

“You’re right, of course. I will try not to let my doubt get to me again.” Isa says.

“It’s been a rough couple of months.” You add. “I don’t blame you for wanting something to go right for a change. But like Lea said, we’ll take the punches as they come, like we always do.”

“Because we’re here for you,” Lea asserts, not able to reach over with Roxas on top of him, but nudging a leg to rest against Isa’s thigh, “and we love you, okay? No matter what life’s decided to throw at us this time.”

“Thank you.” Isa’s voice is raw, and grateful. It’s then that you notice the bags under his eyes, and honestly Lea’s aren’t much better.

“Our pleasure.” You say with a smile. “Now how about we shove some kids into beds and then get into one ourselves? You two look exhausted.”

“Hell yes please.” Lea says as he sits upright, back cracking loudly.

“That does sound good.” Isa admits, hefting a loudly snoring Xion. They’re not much smaller than he is in full panther form, but he manages it with little problem aside trying to keep various limbs from falling around. Lea picks up Roxas, and you move over to Van.

“Hey kiddo.” You pat his cheek softly. You hate to wake him, but you’ve learned the hard way Van doesn’t like waking up in unexpected places, so you at least want him to register that you’re moving him. He murr’s raspily though doesn’t open his eyes.

“‘Ey, Ren.” He slurs sleepily. “How was.. Garden..?”

“The Garden was fine. Aerith sent more pickles for you.” You say as you heft the large panther. Had he grown again? He wasn’t much of a kid anymore these days. Thank goodness for everyone in your family including yourself being some kind of magic enhanced. “I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. We’re just gonna get you to bed.”

“Mh.” Is all he manages to answer, and as far as you can tell he goes right back to sleep.

You drop him off and meet Isa and Lea in your room, where Isa is already in pyjama’s and Lea is in his boxers.

Isa shuffles onto the bed with visible tiredness, and Lea all but flops on one side. You stifle a laugh and take a place on Isa’s other side.

“G’night.” You say, feeling the tiredness finally start to crawl in. “Love you guys.”

“‘Night.” Lea mumbles into the covers, having missed the pillows entirely but apparently not going to bother moving. “Love you both.”

“Goodnight.” Isa says, staring up at the ceiling, awake despite his obvious exhaustion. You pull yourself a little closer, and you feel Lea drape an arm over Isa’s chest.

“I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> science!

**Author's Note:**

> you know i can't NOT hurt isa in some way okay i've been letting him off easy >:3c


End file.
